Commission 5 candidates discuss levy, finances, environment

The three candidates for Grant County Commission District 5 faced off in the second Daily Press sponsored candidate forum Tuesday night at the Silver Consolidated Schools administration building.

Each of the candidates — Democrat Harry Browne, write-in Democratic candidate DeAnn Bencomo and Republican Harry Pecotte — said they were in favor of the proposed four mill levy Gila Regional Medical Center is seeking support for on the November ballot.

Bencomo said that if the mill levy doesn’t pass, then it could force people to travel out of town for some services.

“I am thrilled to pay that for my family member and any person’s family member,” she said.

The argument that the levy will burden only property owners was also addressed as each of the candidates said that non-property owners will eventually feel the sting as business owners and landlords adjust rents and prices to factor in their property taxes.

On the topic of taxes, or raising them, each of the candidates said sometimes that is necessary — for instance when the county raised the gross receipts tax in 2014 to fund Tu Casa substance abuse center, and improvements to the Grant County Courthouse and the Grant County Convention Center.

Pecotte said he would have supported all three in a tax increase, as did Bencomo, but Browne said he wasn’t so sure about the convention center.

“My gut feeling is that it won’t pay us back in the way we want,” he said. “If you make solid investments into the future, you will thrive. If you don’t, you won’t. It’s the wrong kind of tourism to be pursuing, in my book.”

But Pecotte said he firmly believes a renovated convention center will benefit the entire area.

“We have to have some place in this community for large groups to meet,” he said. “If we build it, they will come.”

The candidates also disagreed with each other on the appropriateness of dipping into the New Mexico Land Grant Permanent Fund, which would have to be done by the Legislature. Both Pecotte and Bencomo said the word “permanent” should make the fund off-limits but Browne said that just because that was a good policy when it was created, doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be revisited. The funds provide help to schools, universities and other beneficiaries throughout the state, according to the New Mexico State Investment Council website.

Law enforcement wages were also a hot topic at Tuesday night’s forum, as Grant County sheriff’s deputies have come before the commission twice in recent months to request an increase. All three candidates said that they would have to examine the budget and determine if there is money available to increase salaries, but if deputies are leaving for other, higher-paid departments, then the commission does need to address that. One possible solution, Browne said, would be to have deputies pay for a portion of their health insurance — right now the county pays for all of it — and use the savings there to help increase wages.

On the issue of mining and regulations, all candidates said they believe the mines are regulated enough, if not overregulated.

“I know from my family members that work at the mines there is miles of red tape to go through,” Bencomo said.

However, she believes that there needs to be a balance between production and pollution.

“These are the most stringent regulations in the mining industry,” said Pecotte. “The mines should be able to operate with them.”

He said more regulation could seriously hurt the local economy.

“We’re messing with the livelihood of the county, and if you don’t think so, you need to be here when the mines are shut down completely,” he said. “You’ll see that Silver City, Grant County is dead.”

Browne said the current regulations on paper are pretty strong, but enforcement has been spotty.

The Copper Rule, Browne said, would allow for sacrifice zones where the mines can pollute groundwater, and that is something he said should not be allowed.

“I don’t think there’s room for that in the arid Southwest,” he said.

On the issue of water, Browne said he is against the Gila Diversion Project, and believes joining the southwest New Mexico entity of the Central Arizona Project was a mistake since there were options to look at other avenues to gain water that did not involve a diversion.

“We have a watershed that has not been treated well,” he said. “Water is not percolating well into our aquifers as if we had healthy forests.”

Bencomo said she disagreed and thinks joining the CAP Entity will be beneficial to the area since it gives the county a voice in deciding what happens.

Pecotte said he believes that looking at alternatives is already in the past and the area needs to start thinking about the future — and needs to find a way to keep the water that is within the area’s water rights.